approached them, they were trying to persuade Alfred to stay away from
school, and accompany them in their rambles. They immediately extended
the same invitation to Oscar. Both he and Alfred felt very much
inclined to accede to their proposition, but they were pretty sure that
it would be useless to ask their parents' consent to absent themselves
from school for such a purpose. The point to be settled was, whether
it would be safe to play truant for the day. Seeing that they
hesitated, the oldest boy, whose name was Joseph, began to urge the
matter still more earnestly.

"What are you afraid of?" he said; "come along, it's no killing affair
to stay away from school just for one day. You can manage so that
nobody will know it; and if they should find it out, it won't make any
difference a hundred years hence. Come, now, I 'll tell you what I 'll
do; if you two will go around with us to-day, I 'll give you a quarter
of a dollar apiece."

Oscar and Alfred, after some little hesitation, yielded to their
request, and the four boys started on their tramp. It was not without
many misgivings, however, that Oscar decided to accompany them. With
him, the chances of detection were much greater than with Alfred. No
brothers of the latter attended school, to notice and report his
absence. With Oscar, the case was different, and he did not see
exactly how his truancy was to be concealed from his parents and
teachers. But as Alfred was going with the boys, he finally concluded
that he, too, would run the risk for at least half a day, and trust to
luck to escape punishment.

It was decided to go over to the neighboring city of Charlestown,
first, and visit the Monument and Navy-Yard, both of which the young